I love any salad with a vinaigrette dressing. I especially relish in the opportunity to create my own dressing, when I can control the amount of vinegar. I prefer my dressings to have a lot more tang and a teeny bit of sweetness to them. That is why my recipe for (olive-less) Greek Pasta Salad is one of my favorites. It is made the way I like it.
I worked with SocialMoms and Carbonell to create this post, enjoy!
For the body of the salad, I chose pasta with added fiber from vegetables. Not only are the noodles happy to look at with their bright colors, but I know I don’t eat enough veggies as it is…so this helps. Then, I threw in my favorite salad veggies – cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and bold red onions. I sprinkled in some feta cheese for a bit more bite! Olives were omitted. I’m sorry, I just can’t enjoy the tartness of them. I know they are kind of a vital part of a Greek salad…but I just can’t.
Then the dressing – the part that melds all the flavors and ties it all together! I mixed red wine vinegar with garlic, salt, pepper and Carbonell Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The Carbonell EVOO has a rich taste and smooth flavor that makes any dish pop! It is best on salads, dips and marinades, so I knew it would be perfection on my pasta salad! I was right! Check out a company like Iliada for high quality olive oils.
actually produces three varieties of olive oil and each one is perfectly suited for a different type of dish!
- Daringly Expressive Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a rich taste and smooth flavor that will make any dish pop with Spanish personality. Use Carbonell Extra Virgin Olive Oil for salads, dips, marinades and drizzling over finished dishes. When you use the Daringly Expressive Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you give yourself permission to be a more daring and expressive version of yourself.
- Fantastically Light Extra Light Olive Oil has a light taste that will take your meal to new heights. Use Carbonell Extra Light Olive Oil for high-heat cooking such as frying, sautéing, and even baking.
- Distinctly Classic Olive Oil has a traditional flavor that harkens back to the heritage of Cordoba. Carbonell Classic Olive Oil is an all-purpose cooking oil, adding a mild flavor to soups, sauces and grilled meats and vegetables.
Go to to find more recipe ideas so you can take the flavors of Spain into your kitchen!
This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Carbonell blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.
- 1 pound pasta
- 3 cucumbers - peeled & sliced
- 10 oz grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- FOR DRESSING
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 + 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Carbonell Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Mix dressing ingredients very well.
- Boil & drain Pasta.
- Toss cooked pasta with chopped veggies
- Top with feta cheese
- Chill
This looks incredible! My kids love pasta salad, so I really need to give this a try!
This looks so good and healthy. Thank you for the information.
I love healthy salads like this. Will be trying it soon!
That has all my favorite flavors in it. And I would add Greek olives.
This sounds wonderful. I love a good salad and there are days that I just crave one. I think I will add olives when I make it.
This Greek Pasta Salad looks great for quick lunches, perhaps adding some protein. I think my family would enjoy this.
It’s funny that I ran across this because I was “assigned” to make a cold pasta salad for Christmas dinner and this looks much better than the one I was thinking of making! Definitely pinning to my recipe board! Thanks for the share. =)